As the most distinguished left-wing historian of his generation, Eric Hobsbawn did not like nationalism, but sought to understand it rather than dismiss nationalist feelings and patriotism as absurd. In these essays, Hobsbawm looks at its history and the idea of a nation in many different contexts, with topics ranging from the 19th-century age of revolutions to the Falklands War, but also addressing 'the perils of new nationalism'.
As the most distinguished left-wing historian of his generation, Eric Hobsbawn did not like nationalism, but sought to understand it rather than dismiss nationalist feelings and patriotism as absurd. In these essays, Hobsbawm looks at its history and the idea of a nation in many different contexts, with topics ranging from the 19th-century age of revolutions to the Falklands War, but also addressing 'the perils of new nationalism'.